Thoughts, links, inside information and program previews from the host of Chicagoland's premier local-access political talk show.

Tuesday, October 19, 2004

Oct. 19, 2004 at 6:30 pm
*******************************************
Jeff Berkowitz: There really are no restraints on a woman’s right to have an abortion at any time, any place that you would agree to, right?

State Senator Susan Garrett [D- Lake Forest]: Right.
*******************************************
Berkowitz: …so the question is…should that school district be allowed to discriminate based on that person’s sexual orientation if we define sexual orientation to include the right to be a cross-dresser.

Garrett: I think that’s up to the school district at this point and I don’t want to comment on how schools should employ teachers—
********************************************
Berkowitz: The Illinois Chamber of Commerce is supporting you over [your opponent, Republican] Dan Bryant?

Garrett: Yes, they are supporting me. That’s what I can say, right now. Yeah…
***************************************
State Senate Susan Garrett (D- Lake Forest; 29th District), candidate for re-election, is the featured guest on this week’s suburban edition of “Public Affairs.”

Next week’s show features a virtual debate between Cong. Phil Crane (R- Wauconda, 8th Cong. Dist) and challenger Melissa Bean (D- Barrington).
***************************************
If you live on the North Shore, North or Northwest suburbs, you can watch, weekly, the suburban edition of "Public Affairs." (And, if you live in Chicago, you can watch the City edition of Public Affairs every Monday night at 8:30 on Cable Ch. 21- The show with Senator Garrett airs in the City this coming Monday, Oct. 25)

Tonight [Oct. 19], at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable on Ch. 19 or Ch. 35 in 24 suburbs [See, below airing schedule], take a break from Hannity, King and Norville [a law firm?] or sitcoms on broadcast TV, and watch “Public Affairs.” Or, watch “Public Affairs,” at the same time Monday, Wednesday or Friday on Ch. 19 in 10 additional suburbs. The airing schedule for the show, by specific suburb, is included at the end of the partial transcript of the show, below.
*****************************************
State Senator Garrett debates and discusses with “Public Affairs,” show host and legal recruiter Jeff Berkowitz the state’s Affordable Housing, Planning and Appeal Act, Tax Swaps- Lowering property taxes and raising income taxes, Capping individual home owner Real Estate Assessments, Increasing state income taxes, Increases in taxes and fees on business, the increase in Illinois’ Minimum Wage, the business climate in Illinois, Abortion, Same Sex marriage, Gay Rights legislation and Tort Reform.
***************************************
Jeff Berkowitz: So, you oppose any attempt to regulate so called Live Birth Abortions?

State Senator Susan Garrett: Yes.

Berkowitz: And, you oppose parental notice?

Garrett: Yes, we talked about this maybe a couple of years ago.

Berkowitz: There really are no restraints on a woman’s right to have an abortion at any time, any place that you would agree to, right?

Berkowitz: And, that would have banned discrimination in housing and employment based on sexual orientation.

Garrett: Right. It’s a civil rights issue.

Berkowitz: And, that would have protected gays, lesbians, transgenders, cross-dressers? Would all of those individuals been protected?

Garrett: Well, I don’t know how far reaching you want to go—

Berkowitz: Well, you drafted, you voted on the legislation, right?

Garrett: In the House, it never came up for a vote in the Senate, but I do--

Berkowitz: You supported it in the House.

Garrett: Yes.

Berkowitz: You would support it if it came up in the Senate. Would you support legislation that protected gays, lesbians, transgenders and cross-dressers? All of those four groups?

Garrett: Well, I don’t know if the legislation has cross-dressers.

Berkowitz: But, I am asking, should it? Should it? Would you like it, too?

Garrett: shoulda, woulda, coulda—I think what we are talking about—

Berkowitz: Should it protect all four groups?

Garrett: It should protect people who are being discriminated against because of-- they happen to believe that two men or two women living together, it’s Okay. And, that’s their relationship. They could have civil unions.

Berkowitz: I am talking about a real world example. Somebody applies and wants to teach at a school and that person is a cross dresser. It is a man and he would like to come [to school dressed] as a woman.

Garrett: This is housing. We are talking about housing. The legislation--

Berkowitz: And employment. Sorry, but it [the legislation] included employment, so the question is—you have to face these issues—in the hypothetical I gave you, should that school district be allowed to discriminate based on that person’s sexual orientation if we define sexual orientation to include the right to be a cross-dresser.

Garrett: I think that’s up to the school district at this point and I don’t want to comment on how schools should employ teachers—

Berkowitz: So, you wouldn’t want legislation that precluded that kind of discrimination by the school district.

Garrett: Yes, like I said, it comes down to local control and I—

Berkowitz: Same sex marriage. Would you think that the State of Illinois should allow individuals of the same sex to marry?

Garrett: I believe in civil unions.

Berkowitz: Not same sex marriage?

Garrett: Right.

Berkowitz: Why, why civil unions and not same sex marriage?

Garrett: Why civil union?

Berkowitz: And not same sex marriage. Why shouldn’t they--You just said two individuals [of same sex] should not be discriminated against—

Garrett: What we can do as a state—we are not talking about, at the federal level, changing the Constitution.

Berkowitz: I am talking about Illinois. Illinois decides who can grant and get a license to marry. Now, why shouldn’t two gays or two lesbians be allowed to marry?

Garrett: Well, they might be allowed to marry in other areas. But, I am supporting the civil union right now.

Berkowitz: So you are not, Okay, but on that issue—you are not going to give a reason why?

Garrett: Well, I think that is the values that I have and I think that represents the values of our state and of our district and--

Berkowitz: Tort Reform.

Garrett: Yeah.

Berkowitz: Do you support medical malpractice tort reform?
*********************************
Berkowitz: The Illinois Chamber of Commerce is supporting you over [your opponent, Republican] Dan Bryant?

Garrett: Yes, they are supporting me. That’s what I can say, right now. Yes…
*********************************
State Senator Susan Garrett (D- Lake Forest; 29th District), candidate for re-election, running against Republican state senate candidate Dan Bryant, in a show that was recorded on October 3, 2004 and is airing in the suburbs this week [Week of Oct. 18] and will air throughout the City of Chicago on Monday, Oct. 25, 2004 at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21 [CANTV].
********************************
The suburban edition of "Public Affairs," is regularly broadcast every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Bannockburn, Deerfield, Ft. Sheridan, Glencoe, Highland Park, Highwood, Kenilworth, Lincolnshire, Riverwoods and Winnetka.

The “Public Affairs,” show with State Senator Susan Garrett will air throughout the City of Chicago on Monday, Oct. 25, 2004 at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21.
**********************************************
8th Cong. District Democrat Candidate Melissa Bean’s internal poll indicates that the race is currently a statistical tie. The Cong. Crane camp argues the poll should be ignored, asserting that it was a “Push Poll.” In 2002, Crane, who is now in his 35th year in Congress, beat Bean by a 57% to 43% margin. But, this time, Bean has more money and more name recognition, and, last weekend, the Obama troops came to the District to help her. Cong. LaHood [R- Peoria] sent up a busload of troops, last weekend, from downstate to help Cong. Crane. And, Cong. Lahood is planning to send another busload to the 8th the weekend before the election. So, things are heating up in the 8th, which looks to be the only competitive congressional race in the State. Watch for the issues of tax cuts, trade, the War and abortion [helps Crane] and loss of jobs off shore, gun control, Crane's detachment from District and age [helps Bean] to be significant, if not decisive, as we head toward the home stretch.
****************************************************
Jeff Berkowitz, host and producer of “Public Affairs,” can be reached at JBCG@aol.com
***********************************************